Very few bands make it to their 11th album. Even fewer do so while demonstrating the same fire and fury that defined their early years. But Machine Head isn’t just any band. For over three decades, the personification of determination, Robb Flynn, has led Machine Head to carve its own path—uncompromising, relentless, and ever evolving. Now, with latest album release, UNATØNED (out April 25th on Nuclear Blast/Imperium Recordings), they’ve again cranked up the dial.
With Machine Head, this should come as no surprise: Flynn has been through every high and low that you could possibly imagine a band leader might go through. There’s been controversy, creative differences, and being banned from venues for, amongst other things: fights and riots in the early years, and having ‘undesirable fans’. But there’s something about their rough and tumble Oakland, CA, attitude that has gotten them into (and out of) some tight spots.
As their manager, Joseph Huston, has been fond of saying: “we’re not trouble makers, we’re trouble magnets.”
It’s a Machine Head thing.
There have been points over the years where Flynn has questioned himself. But with UNATØNED all those doubts have been firmly vanquished. This is a band that confidently has the right to know itself and its place in the world – a position well-earned, with 5 million albums sold, and over a billion streams (650 million on Spotify alone).
The album’s lead single, UNBØUND, builds on the swagger and groove of debut album BURN MY EYES while fusing it with the crushing heaviness of Grammy-nominated THE BLACKENING.
“Having two boys from the South in the band – Reece Scruggs and Jared MacEachern – has really brought some groove and swing back into our sound,” Flynn adds.
After single-handedly steering the good ship Machine Head for 30 years, visionary leader Flynn was determined to keep pushing himself creatively this time around. Forever changing the rules – including his own – Flynn set three simple but strict parameters for the songwriting process: every track had to be under four minutes, each song had to feature a key change outside of a typical chord progression, and the final chorus had to differ from the first. The result? A lean, unrelenting, 41-minute onslaught of pure metal—10 razor-sharp anthems and two instrumentals that make this the sharpest, most direct Machine Head album ever.
“After the success of our last record (ØF KINGDØM AND CRØWN, 2022), I needed to make sure this one stood apart. I didn’t want it to get swallowed in CRØWN’S shadow,” Flynn explains. “Machine Head fans expect every album to be different, so this time around I put these constraints on myself to force a new approach. It pushed me out of my comfort zone, which was exactly what I needed.”
Much of UNATØNED came together in motion – literally. Written at home and on the road, Flynn carried a guitar wherever he went, pulling inspiration from unexpected places. Riffs were born in Houston, Texas; Asheville, North Carolina; Columbus, Ohio; and even as far as Perth, Australia.
The result? An album with a decidedly American feel, expansive, yet deeply rooted in the band’s signature groove-laden intensity.
Produced by Robb Flynn and Zack Ohren (All Shall Perish, Entheos), with additional production courtesy of decade-long collaborator Jordan Fish (ex-Bring Me The Horizon, Architects) UNATØNED was masterfully mixed by legendary producer Colin Richardson (Burn My Eyes, The Blackening, Bullet For My Valentine) and Chris Clancy, that raw, untamed energy is apparent from the first notes of ATØMIC REVELATIØNS, a Bay Area thrash monster inspired by a real-life, stranger-than-fiction concept: the Atomic Priesthood.
“I read about how scientists in the ’90s created a religion – the Atomic Priesthood – to warn future civilizations about nuclear waste sites,” Flynn says. “It blew my mind. Religion is one of the few things that can carry meaning across thousands of years. The whole concept fascinated me, and the song just poured out.”
Machine Head’s return to the festival circuit after an 11-year hiatus also had a massive influence.
“We spent over a decade doing our own three-hour Evening With shows, which was amazing, but getting back into the festival scene – headlining Hellfest, Download, the Danny Wimmer festivals – it reignited something,” Flynn admits. “Watching tens of thousands of people go off to certain songs really helped shape this record.”
Case in point: second single BØNESCRAPER, is a masterclass in less-is-more songwriting: “We stripped it down to the essentials – groove, impact, and an arena-sized chorus,” Flynn says.
Similarly, NØT LØNG FØR THIS WØRLD marks a first in Machine Head history: a song featuring all clean vocals.
“It felt unnatural to force a heavy part in just for the sake of it. Jared and I were harmonizing, and nothing sounded better. Some of the song even came together live on our Electric Happy Hour stream, so fans got to see it being created in real time.”
Then there’s ØUTSIDER, an anthem that has kinship with anyone who’s had to cut toxic people loose. Being the polarising figure that he is – there’s no middle ground, he’s either loved or hated – Flynn knows more than a thing or two about this subject: “These last few years, I’ve had to let go of a lot of relationships, and I know I’m not alone in that. This track is for anyone who’s been there.”
Flynn’s collaborative spirit shines through ADDICTED TØ PAIN, a co-write with new guitarist Scruggs that evolved after a tongue-in-cheek challenge to “write a nu-metal song,” which resulted in Scruggs coming up with, “a fantastic set of riffs.”
Flynn later brought in longtime collaborator Jordan Fish (ex-Bring Me The Horizon), who helped elevate the track—and the whole album—with his signature touch.
“I’ve worked with Jordan since BLØØDSTØNE & DIAMØNDS, and he always brings ideas that take things to another level. For this album, I really wanted to give him the opportunity to collaborate on most of the tracks, as I felt it would add a consistency that I wanted.”
THESE SCARS WØN’T DEFINE US is an apt allegory for Machine Head itself: they may have been battered and left scarred, but you’ll never keep ‘em down.
There’s a sense of experimentation extending into DUSTMAKER, which – along with intro LANDSCAPE ØF THØRNS – is an instrumental.
“It started as a jam with Jared, but I always imagined it with a trip-hop beat and a sultry female vocal over it,” Flynn reveals. “It’s an unusual break in the album’s chaos, but I can totally see our fans putting this on loop – and having sex to it.”
On the other end of the spectrum is SHARDS ØF SHATTERED DREAMS, which channels the band’s hardcore roots, using a metaphor of love for war.
Then there’s BLEEDING ME DRY, a deeply personal take on love, loss, and the weight of experience. Flynn has always found a catharsis in song writing, with his emotions writ large throughout each album. This time was no different – it was only during the creative process here that Flynn started being able to come to terms with the death of his mother, and begin to work through the emotional scars that he was left with.
“At 57, I’ve been through – and seen so many friends go through – massive life changes. I just connected with it all on this,” Flynn admits.
The storm of closing track SCØRN is a stunning departure for Machine Head, in that it’s a piano-driven ballad—something Flynn has wanted to do for over 15 years, but never quite pulled off before.
“I’m a sucker for an Elton John ballad,” he laughs. “With the help of Joel Wanasek (programming/post-production), we finally got it right. It’s still Machine Head, but with a twist.”
UNATØNED is Machine Head at their most concise and potent. Eleven albums deep, they continue to challenge themselves – and their fans – without losing the fire that has seen them elevated to bonafide legendary status.
Strap in. The next chapter of Machine Head is here, and it's going to put them firmly in the festival headlining hot seat.
